Stockholm loses every tenth student
Until 2033, a decrease of 10,400 elementary school students is expected throughout Stockholm, of which 8,700 are in the municipal elementary schools.
– This year alone, the number of students is reduced by over 1,000 people. It happens here and now, says Emilia Bjuggren.
The number of pupils at Södermalm is decreasing by 22 percent by 2033. As a result, Åsö elementary school is closed down, even Eken’s school is in the danger zone.
– We must do everything in order not to close schools, but we have to make tough decisions now. It is financially tough for families with children, they cannot afford to live on Södermalm, says Emilia Bjuggren.
Stockholm already has Began to close preschools in many places in the city, including Södermalm and Kungsholmen, in Gubbängen and Hägersten.
Overall, Stockholm’s population does not decrease. According to the city’s forecast, it is expected to increase from 988 900 in 2023 to 1,058 400 in 2033.
But childbirth in Sweden is lower than ever And since 2018, a trend has been seen in Stockholm: young adults and families with children is the group that usually moves out of the county.
The population as a whole is thus increasing – but there are more families with children moving out to other places in Sweden than moving in.
– We, both the city and the government, must work for people to afford to live in Stockholm and advice to give birth to children. We cannot have a city where the population decreases. We have to reverse the trend, says Emilia Bjuggren.
Now the city is going to discontinue More than 6,600 student places in barracks that have often been set up in the school yards. They will also postpone or stop plans for new schools that are no longer needed.
– We have removed the plans for schools in Riksby, Norra Djurgårdsstaden, Vinterviken and Högdalen. They will not be built over the next few decades. At the same time, we have postponed the plans at schools in Kista Äng, the Slaughterhouse area and on the Årsta field.
One advantage that Emilia Bjuggren sees is that the city now has an opportunity to evacuate students when old schools need to be renovated.
In the coming years, extensive maintenance is planned for approximately 45 of the city’s schools.
– The vast majority of schools will remain, but many will be smaller, three parallel classes in one year will be two, for example. It is important to signal to parents that we cannot let local costs eat up all the space. We must ensure that the money goes to the business and hire more teachers, says Emilia Bjuggren.
READ MORE: The sparsely populated municipality goes against the stream: « Babyboom »
